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Cautionary Tales For Children
Wonderful witty poems great for reading to your children. The stories and rhymes will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
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Research has shown how important YOU are to your children and how as a dad the things you do, and keep on doing, really count, whether you live with them, or you are a single dad and are only able see them once a month, once a week or more, what you do really matters. This site is dedicated to all dads but will be of special relevance to the single dad. Remember, you are half the reason your children exist and they need you whether you live with them or not. As their dad, you have what it takes to make their lives successful and fulfilling no matter how often you see them. This site is about all the positive things that we as parents have to offer our children.
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| Being a hero to your kids is simply child′s play for a dad
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Read the amazing story of the Barons Shadow Box Frames and then make one
Since Victorian times, shadow boxes have been used as a great way to display precious memorabilia. Now you can easily make one for yourself. You can make it any colour you like, but here you can see how to make an antique looking one. This box frame displays my precious set of dragon scales. Next week I will explain in detail how to make the scales as well, but for now, you can start making the box from our simple instructions and there are no end of things that you can put in a well made Shadow Box. In fact why not make one for a father's day present and make a simple dioramas (that is small scenes) or an arrangement of objects that have a special meaning.
A great little Father's Day project, a lovely Good Deeds Voucher booklet
As Father's Day approaches (21st June), we thought you might like one or two original projects to help you tell your dad how much he means to you. The first project is a lovely little handmade booklet of vouchers for good deeds and favours. Use the printables provided or design your own treats on the blank pages also provided in the downloadable.
If you like the idea of making something original for your dad, then why not have a look at the rosette project, There's five colours of rostte to choose from.
Barons
Barbecue with attitude this year and show them who's boss
Smoked bacon cooked to crispy perfection, wrapped round soft cooked sweet banana, my mouth is watering writing this... once you have tried it there's no going back, and the barbecue where you introduce this wonderful combination will never be forgotten. Read about bacon wrapped banana and nine other top barbecue tips in this week's Ten Top Tips article, "Champion Barbecuer".
A perfect project for the bank holiday weekend: Make your own superb Steampunk Dragon Hunter's Goggles
There was one piece of protective apparel that I have never been without; my Flare Resistant Glaremaster Goggles. Extremely lightweight, the originals automatically adjust their transmissivity, such that normal vision is maintained regardless of the viewing conditions. Blinding flash flares from the nostrils of an angered dragon are instantaneously dimmed, yet by the same infernal mechanism, dark caves need no illumination, as the Glaremasters boost the available light in order to automatically enhance one’s vision, so as to render the carriage of lamps unnecessary. Although the company that made them no longer exists, you can make a pair yourself from our simple instructions and templates. Have fun this weekend and make something great together.
Become a heroic Katana sword smith in an afternoon with this fabulous samurai sword making project
What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon... sword making. now you can make this full size (wooden) samurai sword, using our easy to follow instructions. It's our newest, advanced project, but you'll find it quite easy once you get going and the result is incredible. Make something really cool with your kids this weekend. The downloadable instructions show you how to make each part and how to wrap the handle in webbing to get perfect authentic ITO (braid) look on the TSUKA (handle).
The final three cards to colour in and make, from the Barrons' Mythologica Private Collection
As promised, the last in our current series of mythical beasts to sharpen your artistic talents, while making gorgeous greetings card or illustrator's plates. This week there are three Draw and Colour Human Chimera to choose from: a mermaid, a centaur or the the wicked little faun. Keep your finished work as a beautiful drawing, or use the simple instructions that come with each download to a lovely greetings card. Pale coloured outlines mean that you can draw over the image to get the best "I drew it myself" result. Each card has a short fact about the half-human half-animal in question. There are nine creatures in all, so if you'd like to see more, go to the Doing Section where you'll find our new Colour and Draw project list.
Make an authentic Dragon Hunter Pass using our first Dynamic Content Download
When you go out adventuring you'll find that it's not all plain sailing. Sometimes a tiny bit of skulduggery is needed even in pursuit of the most honest goals. I recently found an old photograph of my 1922 Dragon Hunting Border Pass (complete with the local currency deemed necessary to buy its acceptance). The badly damaged photograph is only one of two pieces of evidence that remains of my last trip to Ngari, the highest point on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. My goal was the peaceful study and conservation of what was then thought to be the last remaining Tibetan Lung, but at that time the local ruling party was bent on their destruction and was only allowing dragon hunters to gain access to the region. I forged this Hunter's Pass to gain access to the plateau, so that I could study and perhaps even and rescue the precious beast. The pass itself was lost on the trip, as you can find out in my story, here, but armed with this photo, I have had a replica made so that you can make a pass for yourself and retrace my steps, although you'll find all signs of the draco-beast have long since gone.
Make a String Nest, fill it with eggs and colour in your own gift tag
Perfect for any time in Spring, a String Nest. It's so easy to make and looks just like a real nest. It's a great school holiday project. The download comes with a couple of neat little gift tags both in full colour and drawn only with a simple light grey line, to make them easy for you to colour in to make this nest the perfect gift for somebody you love.
Learn how to blow an egg and then paint it to make a gorgeously delicate keepsake
For hundreds, if not thousands of years, people have painted eggs. Some crafters nowadays prefer to buy and paint wooden eggs, but for me that takes away some of the magic of painting a real egg. There is nothing quite like the feeling of painting on a real hen's egg that has been blown. It's so light, it's so delicate, it seems really special and fragile; in fact, it just has to be a real egg. Paint it carefully and you'll have something beautiful at the end of the project and something that needs to be handled with respect and kept somewhere safe. If it is your first time, go for simple shapes and bright colours. You'll find that painting an egg is harder than it looks, but spraying the egg first with a bright coloured spray paint really gives you a head start. Use nice, glossy, quick drying enamels (which can be bought in very small pots) and most importantly, for the best results, design your egg before you start. As usual with our projects we have provided a neat template for you so that you can plan out your egg designs, and we have come up with a great way to help you keep the egg steady so that you can paint it more easily. Have fun and don't forget to upload pictures of the lovely eggs you paint.
What could be more perfect than your own special emergency bar of chocolate?
During rationing (a long long time ago), children and parents saved up their ration coupons, or their chocolate allowance for special occasions. You don't have to do that these days, but you could make this special emergency ration chocolate bar perfect to give eat on a special occasion. Write their name clearly on the front and then write them a lovely message on the back. This project is just the answer for a quirky, personal emergency gift. The project template comes with instructions and is available in both A4 and US letter sizes.
 A fun little experiment, make your own Sand Timer
Building an egg timer is a really neat experimental project because it has all the fun of making something and yet it is really proper science. Talk to your kids about the experiment. I don’t believe in dumbing down things for children too much. They are learning machines and hungry for any interesting bits of information. As long as you use words that they understand, you’ll find that kids of any age readily grasp new concepts. Discuss the nature of time and measurement with your kids as you are making the egg timer. But make sure you listen to what they are saying, when they are relaxed and having fun the things they talk about are a good window on how they are thinking and feeling.
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This project shows you how to easily make a sand timer that can be used to accurately measure the time needed to boil an egg (three minutes). Use soft, fine, dry sand and calibrate your timer carefully and you will find that it will quite accurately measure the time it takes to cook a perfect soft boiled egg.
Perfect for any occasion, an easy gift box that you can fill with sweets
We've finished making the plans so now it's your turn to have fun. All you have to do is print out the template and fold it up. There's a blank design if you want to colour your own in. Why not use it for a neat little Easter gift (you can fit one chocolate inside, or what about popping a Mother's Day present in side it.
Make something beautiful for someone special
Valentine's Day is passed but you don't really need a special as an excuse to make and send someone you love this lovely heart shaped box. This gorgeous Love Heart Shaped Box is really easy to make following our simple instructions. Make it and give this as the gift, or make it and put something lovely inside it for the perfect present.
Become King of the Yorkshire Puddings
It's something my father always claimed to be, but in my children's eyes, it is a crown that I now wear... King of the Yorkshire Puddings. Crispy on the outside, fluffy well risen on the inside, melt-in-the-mouth Yorkshire Puddings are a compliment to any roast and make a very nice dessert, and what's more they are very easy to make and make well. Kids love them (who doesn't), so get mixing and find an excuse to serve them... even with sausage and mash if you have to, we have the perfect recipe that will make you the undisputed champion of the Yorkshire Puddings.
Make Melros's beautiful miniature Dragon Egg Pendant
Follow the story of Melros's discovery of the smallest dragon's eggs ever found; the tiny Wisp Dragon's Eggs. Read how they came to be made into pendants and then learn how to make them yourself. Perfect adornments for your mantleshelf or for wearing about your person. Find out why the real eggs must be securely locked away, and then write in and tell us of your own experiences with these little known but exquisite miniature artifacts.
There's never been a better time to join dadcando... a whole year of fun and creativity for only £9.95.
Beat the credit crunch! Join dadcando today and get thousands of hours of fun and creativity that will last you the whole year. Doing projects on dadcando together, is not only one of the most rewarding ways to spend time with your children, but it is also the perfect way to build your child's confidence, creativity and problem solving abilities, and therefore help them do better at school. With a back catalogue of over 350 projects and project downloads and an exciting new one each week, there has never been a better way to spend £9.95 and make the most of the time you spend with your children. And you don't just have to be a dad to join, half our members are women and we have thousands of grandmas, grandads, uncles and aunts and children as members.
Your chance to make the golden dragon embryo... Unleash your kids' creativity
Your long wait is over, I have at last recovered my priceless Aurified Dragon Embryo. As you know, I have been exhibiting the famous Dragon Filigree Egg Case for some time now, and it must be said that you have even made some wonderful examples of it, truly worth of one of my expeditions. But ever since I found that beautiful Egg Case lurking in my attic, I have been searching for the Golden Dragon Embryo that I found near a Tibetan monastery over 60 years ago. Such things are easy to mislay. As a pair, the pieces are priceless, but regardless of that, it is wonderful to see them reunited again in the same display case.
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I have just published the story of how I came to own this gorgeous sample and a simple set of directions of the manufacturing process, whereby you will be able to fashion one of these elegant pieces for yourself. I hold you will take this opportunity to make this rare piece and help me unravel the mystery that has surrounded it since I discovered it over 60 years ago.
Make this Secret Box Book that looks just like a beautiful antique book; perfect for hiding away all your secrets
Easy to follow instructions and two gorgeous label printables help you make a perfect job of this beautiful Secret Box Book, which is big enough to store all your precious papers and trinkets. It's easier to make than you think with our illustrated instructions explaining every step and complete plans to make sure that your Secret Box Book looks as good as this.
Mix up and bottle your own potions and then label them with these strangely beautiful antique apothecary labels
When my one of my best friends became ill, I was dispatched to a quaint little apothecary in Old Compton Street to find a cure. The wise old pharmacist had just the right prescription, but it was not at all what I expected. Read the tale here and of course, mix up some of your own wonderful potions and label them with these beautiful antique apothecary labels; only on dadcando.
Design and draw up your own whimsical map
When I was a kid, one of my favourite projects was designing and drawing up a map of my very own country. Imagining all those roads, rivers, towns, coves and beaches was completely absorbing. Drawing up a fanciful map is a great way to get children interested in a wide range of important concepts. Maps can be drawn with fanciful illustrations of features, such as would have been common in maps drawn hundreds of years ago, or they can be a little more modern, with contour lines and proper map symbols. More than one map can be drawn showing different aspects of your land, say a political map, a rainfall map or an A to Z road map. Design an island as I have done, or draw the detail of a city. When you’ve finished drawing the map, why not write a short story of how your map came to be found, or how you discovered your wonderful new country. Blank maps and instructions on how to make it look authentic can be found here, in the Dragonry.
Make your own beautiful wandbox with these lovely instructions supplied exclusively to us by Swish and Flick
Much has been said in the wizarding press and in almost any authoritative textbook you care to mention, of the importance of a choosing your wand carefully. It can not be denied that the wand maker's craft is an exacting one, but what is so often overlooked is the art of the wandbox maker.
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If you have made a wand (and we have a fabulous project for doing exactly that, here) and would like to present it and keep it safe when it is not in use then this project will be perfect for you and your first step towards becoming a master wandbox maker.
Make some thing lovely and practical with your kids, like this great dragonesk bottle stopper to keep all that goodness in
Although I never reveal my age, people are often puzzled at how I can look so young and yet be able to describe my adventurous activities of more than 100 years ago as if the events were only a few weeks past. I can reveal however that I owe by longevity to a single brief encounter with Le Comte de Saint-Germain, whom I met by accident as I travelled across Europe on official business in the winter of 1898. I tell you the tale of my meeting and thus how I came to own this lovely little bottle closure. However, unfortunately I am unable to offer you a recipe for the formulation of the amazing Universal Medicine of the bottle that it stoppered. Find out here how you can make a lovely little silver dragonesk bottle stopper.
Never lose another book with this gorgeous hand drawn ex-libris bookplate, perfect for starting your own personal library
Originally designed and first used in Germany in the 15th Century after the birth of the moveable type printing press, bookplates are still in use today and antique versions are themselves the subject of many collections. Now you can download and use your own ex-libris bookplate and mark the ownership of some of your most treasured possessions... your books. Start making your own library right now, and make sure you never lose another book again, right here.
Make this simple but very useful pencil roll and inspire your kids' creativity
Useful for school, useful for outings, useful for home; the jeans pencil roll is just about perfect for keeping your best pencils safe and organised at all times. That's why a pencil roll is exactly what professional artists use to keep their materials organised. Now you can have fun making one of your own in a few minutes from an old pair of trousers, curtains or upholstery fabric. You don't even need a sewing machine, because in this project we show you how to make this pencil roll using hot-melt glue gun glue instead of sewing thread. As usual, our beautifully drawn instructions explain, in simple steps, exactly how to get a result that looks just like this in only a few minutes.
Make your own beautiful dragonhide pouch
Have a laugh at my expense as you read how I was tricked by a Shaman Hidemaster in to purchasing dragonhide a almost double its true worth. Of course, you needn't purchase the hide, you can easily make it yourself, using simple instructions that you'll find here. I would have thought that such a pouch would make the excellent gift.
Make this lovely old letter with postmark and stickers
Back at the turn of the last century there was no email and as the world was still waiting for the Wright Brothers to make their first epic flight, there was no airmail either. A short message might be sent across the continents from a far off land, by telegram. A few choice words tapped out in Morse Code by  operators skilled in the art, and relayed from country to country via a network of telegraph stations. Of course this was not much use if you urgently wanted to send a small package, or even a long letter. Travelers and adventurers to the farthest corners of the World, required something better. In 1896, an enterprising businessman started a regular International Dragonpost Service offering, for a modest price, to deliver parcels and letters within three days, to any address the sender desired, using dragons. The service was highly successful, but was superseded by airmail services after the invention of the airplane, due to the limited availability of suitably trained dragons and their aversion to flying over large cities. However, now you can recall those wonderful days by making your own recreation of the Dragonmail Airmail envelope label booklets, and Dragonpost franking postmark, that once was a common sight in post offices throughout the land, only here on dadcando.
Special Delivery Dragon Stamps proof sheet to download
Here there be dragons... Almost nothing is better than receiving an interesting looking parcel from a far off land, bearing exotic stamps. Before I was old enough to go traveling myself, I had to be content with daydreams of fantastical places that were made a little bit more real by those strange stamps and their fascinating postmarks. Now you can download a beautiful proof sheet of some antique stamps from our Dragonry. Based on a traditional design, these stamps will add that touch of beauty and realism to any model or package from a dark and distant corner of the ancient world. Or download them and cut them out and make a special Stamp album just for them to go with the rest of your dragonesk collectibles.
The perfect project for those who want to display their things nicely: A Victorian Domed Display Case
In Victorian times, elegant withdrawing rooms up and down the land, would be stuffed to the gills with all kinds of knickknacks, seemingly poured out in a rich perfusion of ornaments, collectibles and memorabilia, arranged neatly to cover almost every available surface of the living rooms. The traditional cast iron fireplace was certainly the focal point of any middle class Victorian home and a mantelpiece (more properly called a mantelshelf) without two or three statuettes, a candle holder or two and either a carriage clock or a glass domed display case, usually showing a stuffed bird or small mammal of some kind, would have seemed woefully empty and lacking in character.
. . . Victorian glass domed display cases can be picked up in second hand junk shops (if you're lucky) or more usually at antiques bazaars, but they are fragile and can be expensive, so why not make your own here.
. . . This project is the perfect way to display all your most beautiful holiday trinkets and the things that you make. It will keep the dust off them and really show them off in a special way, and the best bit is, that it's a very quick little project, and all you need is some cardboard, a Christmas bauble or something similar and an empty, two litre soda bottle.
Make your own Dragon's Golden Filigree Eggcase a replica of one of the rarest natural artifacts
One afternoon last week, quite by accident, while looking for my trusty ivory ophthalmoscope in a tea chest I had not opened for nearly 50 years, I came across one of my old journals. Lazy, late-day sunlight filtered through the dusty attic window, and as time was not pressing, I idly thumbed through the pages. The adventures therein, though captured in such a naïve and faded narrative, reminded me of my wilder days, long since passed, and rendered the rest of the afternoon to an oblivion of reminiscing and recollection. Nought further might have come of this chance discovery had not my manservant, Collinworth, suggested over the lightly buttered toast the next morning, that the very pages that had been so demanding of my attention the day before could yet render me, and others, an invaluable service in permitting me to describe the delicate process of constructing a Golden Filigree Dragon’s Eggcase, and the use thereof to extract an original of the same against the auspices of a wary and ever watchful eye of the Tibetan Lung. Now you can read more about this story and follow the instructions, here, or by clicking on the picture below. You can see that I have mislaid the dragon embryo itself, but as soon as I locate that piece, I will furnish you with plans on its fabrication.
Write and design your very own antique journal pages on this gorgeous download.
What can be more inviting than the blank pages of a journal just waiting for your inscription, and yet what can be more reassuring than discovering and re-reading what you wrote years before. Keeping a journal of notes and ideas is one of the ways adventurers keep their memories alive. In this very simple project you can re-create the journal entries of a great adventurer by downloading and then printing out the blank images and drawing on them yourself. Download the project here or by clicking on the image of the blank journal. Life is your adventure, that's my motto.
Plop Trumps, the great new game from dadcando
They said it couldn't be done, they said it shouldn't be done, but we went ahead and did it anyway. Isn't that what all heroes do. Brought to you from the whirrings of an 11 year old mind, it's not Top Trumps, it's Plop Trumps, buy them on dadcando, this is our first real you-got-to-buy-it product. Already reviewed as "the freshest thing to come out of the Top Trumps genre", and "the coolest kids thing in the history of the world ever..." we don't think there's anyone who doesn't secretly (or openly) find this fascinating. As well as some very scientific pictures specially taken for dadcando and some great vital statistics, each card has a very educational and interesting factoid on it. For example, did you know that a single locust can eat its own weight in food per day, and as the average swarm covers 100 square kilometres and is made up of tens of billions of locusts, together a swarm can eat 70,000 tonnes of food each day. You wouldn't want to see one of those coming if you were just about to harvest your crops! Enormous fun to play, huge kudos to own, find out more and buy here, while stocks last. We ship the same day by first class.
As we add new projects, all the stuff you know and love is still right here
There's tons of fun to be had making incredible things and doing the best craft activity or the coolest projects with your kids, using our fabulous templates, printables and beautifully drawn instructions. Incredible, easy to make, printed paper airplanes, the funkiest pompoms on the web or our really original origami paper shirts. You can do the best science experiments with your children, because our instructions show you how to do them and explain what’s going on.  Now you can even cook a lovely meal for your kids, or a meal just for two, without a weighing scale in sight, even if you’ve never cooked before, using our simple recipes. Follow our very useful homemaking tips so that you can make your apartment or house a place your kids will want to call home. Or just help with homework, using our emergency printable lined and ruled papers paper . The web’s favourite site for dads and single parents.
Look at our Harry Potter Wizarding Projects
Now you can make your very own Golden Snitch, or everyone’s favourite, our Wizard’s Wands in a few minutes from a few simple bits and pieces of household junk.
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Dadcando is just brimming with downloadable instructions and printables of the highest quality you’ll find on the web, many with original graphic printer patterns, for example, see the X-1000 SkyBlade paper rocket along with all our other paper airplanes right here, or be whisked magically to the Mad Eye Moody’s magical eye project by clicking here.
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dadcando’s little blog is a regular feature article on what we’re thinking each week about issues and interesting ideas relevant to parents and single parents. If there's something that you're thinking about and you would like to write an article to be published here, please contact us with a brief outline of your idea, and we'll get back to you.
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Momma Bryna's hair Tie
Yep, the summer is nearly here. After a scorching few days of hot sun (in Europe at least), we are breaking out the barbecue and thinking wistfully of the summer holidays (apologies to our Australian members). So it only seems right to feature a great little hair tie project. The perfect way to make a bit of essential beachwear.
Make your own Hair Tie
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Hi, I just thought I’d drop a quick line after reading an article written by yourself in a magazine recently. I read the article in work, which was a mistake as it raised tears in my eyes. The problems that face single Dads as outlined in the article accurately reflect my own situation. I found it heartening to know that other Dads find themselves in the same situation as myself. I also took encouragement from the fact that the article mentions that as time passes, things often become easier when trying to deal with ones ex-partner regarding childcare matters. I hope this happens in my own circumstances. Thank you,
Tim
UK
See more of your comments
 Tells us what you think about dadcando, leave a comment here
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Every week we’re giving away a pack of the brand new card game, Plop Trumps for the best model you have made from dadcando. Everybody is talking about this latest trump card game and its fascinating blend of science and yuk factor. To win a pack, all you have to do is upload an image of your model. So get making, and get taking those photos and start uploading now and you could be a winner! You can also buy Plop Trumps if you want. Click here if you would like to read more about Plop Trumps and buy a pack.
To enter just upload your picture
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Birdbasket's Fluffy Sheep
 Birdbasket says...
"I work with Preschool children at the library. We made these sheep the "right" way and then one little guy made his like this. Either way works for me!"
Chris says...
"I absolutely adore it. Looks very hungry in the way that only a Henry Moore sculpture can. Perhaps there's a post-modernist lurking in there somewhere."
Make your own pompom sheep
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